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Simoun

Before I even get started on this,...
I am one of those people that for the life of me cannot decide witch category an anime belongs to. This is evidenced by my repeated postings in the wrong forums. To avoid doing it again, I have decided to create this thread in the general manga discussion forum and hope that a Mod or Admin moves it if need be. Actually I do not even know if there is a manga for this show, as I have so far only encountered the anime. So if there is a shojo Anime section on this board I guess that is where this thread belongs.

Anyway Some time ago, I read a very short description of this anime over at fansub.tv I saw that the artwork looked fairly decent and I thought to myself ok this sounds rather weird so why don't I download the first ep and see if it can catch my interest.
This has over the last half year become my standard operating procedure; I read a description, if I find that I am in the mood for the kind of stuff I download the first episode and if I am not impressed I delete it and never look back again. At least that is how it is supposed to work in theory. With Simoun it was decidedly different.
Confused yet? well this is a rant after all so I am not working too hard to organize my thoughts. But just to help you out a little I will see if I can find the synopsis that started this whole thing. By the way if you are planing to watch this show and you absolutely do not want to be spoiled maybe you should not read this because I plan to go over a bunch of plot elements and characters, just thought you might like to know.

anyway, I found it:

Quote:

The story takes place on a planet different from the Earth. They call their planet the Great Air Continent. There, they are born as female. When they become 15 years old, they go to the "spring" and choose their sex to become "adult".

They are at war; the country where the main characters live is invaded by the next country aiming at their superior engine. Day by day, the situation is getting severer. To intercept their attack, they convert the two-seater plane for ceremony, Simoun, into a fighter. Also, they organize an air squad, "Call", which consists of "Mediums". They are...

Warning, what follows is a very disoriented rant written in the heat of the moment. the writing is full of strong biases and misinterpretations based on shocking first impressions. Reading this post might give you the wrong ideas about this anime which, now that I have seen more of it, is actually a very well thought out captivating and artistic experience. of course it is also a little unsettling. If this does not scare you away then go ahead and click the spoiler tag. This is your last warning though, I can get rather long winded.

...Yes that was all they had for a description. I did not truncate this text in any way don't believe me? Go over to the website and check it out yourself http://anime.fansub.tv/series.php/797/Simoun/ can you really blame me for getting curious? I am not sure what i was expecting but i felt like trying something a bit more weird and unusual.

Well I sure got unusual, so much so that I only dare watch the episodes I download at night when I am sure no one is looking over my shoulders. I still get this queezy feeling when I am watching. Anyway let me tell you about my first impressions.
The first thing I noticed is that there is a lot of hand drawn scenery in this anime which gives it a rather refreshing feel, Just as I suspected from seeing a few screen shots The artwork is very "clean" especially when the focus is on our protagonists. A lot of white with touches of gold against a backdrop of the bluest skies gives you the feeling there is a slight association with heaven or angels even before the actual story begins. The opening song is a decently catchy tune, and though I did not notice it when I watched the first ep it has many very subtle cues, harmonies and well implemented instrumentation that should earn it respect in the eyes of any true music lover (like myself).
Moving on, after the opening song finished it did not take five minuted and I started to feel like this anime was not going to cut it for me. Sure I wanted something wierd but what I say was what looked like a lot of emotional yuri situations with a little "fighting" thrown in every now and then for a change. This "fighting" by the way consisted of the girls getting into their flying thingamagigies which they call Simouns and flying weird formations through the sky while drawing a line of sparkly blue light behind themselves. This light trace, which they call a "ri-majon" or "remergion" (depending on the translator), then proceeds to explode and destroy practically any enemy that happens to be unlucky enough to be on screen. Now add to this the fact that the few "male" characters in the show all sounded distinctly female half of them locked the part too. I started to think that I got myself into watching some messed up yuri-loli-trany-hentai without the hentai component. I was not sure what to think about this and I went ahead and deleted the file after I finished watching the episode.

But you know the saying: Curiosity killed the cat! it seemed that something did manage to catch my interest. As usual it was something about the lead character, or maybe it was the idea that i would have to amass a small library's worth of a new vocabulary just to understand what they are all speaking about in this anmie, I don,t know but eventually I went back and downloaded the next episode and started to watch the show.
Now why did I even say all these things? What is my point? I don't know! I just felt like I needed to start telling people what I thought about this show, I needed an outlet, so to speak.

Back on topic, I slowly started to get acquainted with the protagonists of the show, the girls or "simula" or "sibila" of "Call Tempest" or maybe it could be "Choir Tempest" (refer to the synopsis if you are confused) you never know. This took a me quite a while since right in the first half of the first episode three of the simula die during a "routine mission" where they just happen to encounter the full assault force of the enemy. then three more of them decide to leave. So over the course of the next five or so episodes New members keep transferring into call tempest until they are once again at full strength; 12 simula, 6 simoun. As each of the new members are introduced it turns out that al of them have some sort of problem, or have an obsession with Nevirille, one of the main characters in the show. You see Nevirille lost her pair in the first episode when they attempted to preform a complicated remergion and failed catastrophically. Since then she has gone essentially brain dead (maybe i am being to harsh here) and pretty much isolated herself from everyone. Like i said before it seems like every newcomer to the call wants to be paired with her the notable exceptions being Limone (a cute-as-a-button prodigy who is probably the youngest simula ever, and is constantly eating for the first few episodes.) and Dominura who deserves a paragraph to herself.

Simula Dominura brings a whole new level of messed up to the show in the form of creepy. For starters She is drawn and colored to look evil. For one thing ass opposed to all the other "good guys" so far she is drawn with a lot of dark and matte colors also she constantly has this look in her eyes that remind you of some witch you are sure you saw sometime around Halloween's. One look at her and I was sure: "This one will turn out to be evil" Further more, all the most of the simula looked like they could be under 15 years of age with one (Paraeitto or Paraeid) looking about 17-20. Dominura on the other hand could easily be anywhere between 24-35 and when you take into consideration that her hair is colored the same as the uniforms of the "bad guys" and that the "bad guys" always look like adults, It really gets you thinking. So much for the evil theory, next is the disturbing fact where she suddenly decides that Limone will be her pair. You would not think to much of this until you hear that these "pairs" start the"engines" of their Simoun by making out with each other and then kissing a spherical enclosure which they call the "Gem". To me something just seemed very creepy and wrong about a 30 year old deciding that she will pair up with what cold be a 8-10 year old in this fashion .
So by now I am convinced she was sent from the devil. Anyway as the story continues Dominura ends up saving call tempest from being permanently disbanded. And just when I begin to think that she might have a good side to her it turns out that she arranged for Call tempest to be transfered to a small and rusty suspicious looking ship. where she is essentially in command. She goes on to make seemingly unreasonable, harsh and downright evil command decisions, up to the point where I found myself wishing that she would fall of a railing and plummet to her death. And then, coming entirely out of left field, she suffers a mental breakdown and begins to show a human side. Then within the time of three episodes she rehabilitates and turns into what looks like a good guy. ...

I kinda have to stop there because that is as far as I have seen. Anyway, I was trying to convey what a confusing character Dominura is (and it seems I failed miserably) I find it infinitely annoying and yet somewhat exciting that i cannot decide if I like her or hate her. One thing is for sure She is one reason why I keep on watching the show and I would not have thought I would ever say this.

I guess I ran out of steam just about now, I don't know why I thought it was necessary to post a long summary of the show as a rant, so don't even ask me. All I was doing was letting out what i had inside of me, it does not even matter if no one reads this. I just felt that I Need to shear my thoughts with someone somewhere. And since I can be a very bashful person I decided to do it in a medium where i can stay entirely anonymous. So here is my rant. Let me know what you think.

If you even read this whole thing, you deserve a prize of some sort, like a plaque or a medal or something.

I see that quite a few people have at least looked into this thread, but there have been no replies in almost half a year (maybe more, I don't remember when I originally posted this). could it be that my writing style is that bad that I scared away everyone before they even finished to read it? or is there just nothing to say about my thoughts? I did not think that this would be a popular thread per say, but I thought at least one or two would comment in this amount of time.

Re: Rant about "Simoun"

i will reply!

so my procedure to your screening-for-whether-i-should-watch-this-anime is pretty similiar. i find a basic description, some more indepth description from wikipedia usually, maybe see if it's been blogged and try to see the art style and screepcaps and summaries (as you can see i don't care about spoilers. lol. unless they're like REALLY HUGE.... nvm... i don't make sense) ... and then download the first episode or two and see what it's like. .... maybe a lot of people do that. (:

but yeah... there are some things that will shut up off from a particular anime or manga. hentai and homosexual themes. i just can't stand it and hate it. i don't want it to sound as if i'm making a proclamation to say that homosexuals in the real world are horrible people and hated by me, because i don't believe that. i don't agree with homosexuality, but that's where my faith and belief is at. ok... before this becomes some dissertation about my beliefs... lol.

but yeah. so basically if there are hentai themes and/or homosexual themes i don't watch it. although... now-a-day anime and manga... or media in general are becoming more and more "hentai"-ish... even in American tv shows. ok ANYWAY... dang... i'm good at getting off topic.

so yeah. i didn't like simoun at all. the art was beautiful, the music was cool... but the whole yuri thing plus the guys sounded like girls was not right. i was really disappointed because i read in a review that it was a really good anime, having no idea that it was yuri. sigh... waste of a download. but that's my opinion. like mai-otome... have heard so many good things. just can't watch it cuz it's yuri. i just can't. sigh... some people may think i'm being close-minded... but i don't think so. it just goes against my nature and being i guess... it makes me sad that all these good animes/mangas are yuri or yaoi...

o... and i did read your whole summary. do i get a prize?! like... coffee flavored ice cream with chunks of espresso and one of those figurines that nods its head in the sun (those solar-powered figurines made from japan i think).... jk! - -''

i hope i didn't offend anyone. i didn't mean to. my apologies if i did, but i still stand true to what i said. (:

the greatest sacrifice has been paid; and now we may awaken from our deepest slumber, and bask in the Light partaking in sweet fellowship for eternity.

Re: Rant about "Simoun"

Well I am very glad to finally get a reply. And i am deeply honored to hear that you read the whole post. your prize will be my everlasting and undying respect. I cannot really offer you more than that in real life. but if you are into virtual gifts (like the cookies they used to hand out in the intro thread) then you should expect to receive a coffee flavored ice cream with chunks of espresso and one of those figurines that nods its head in the sun, with your name on it in the near future, and as a bonus a batch of the most delicious warm chocolate-butterscotch- cookies you can imagine with a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows to wash them down.... and a hug.

Also I respect and understand your opinion and i do not think any less of you for stating it. I too disapprove of homosexuality (not the people, just the practice) and was very disturbed when I first saw the anime, but for some reason I continued to watch it. Does this mean that I have compromised my standards? Am I less of a person because of it? I guess we just can't tell for sure for now, I hope not anyway.

Re: Rant about "Simoun"

niiiiice. i luuuurrrveee cookies! thank you very much! *bow*

thank you for respecting and understanding my opinion. like you, i also disapprove of the act, not the people. i wouldn't say that you have compromised your standards, but it might get a person wondering why you would engage/support watching it if you don't condone the act. It's hard to make any sort of judgment because one could use that explanation with anything though. many people take part in things that they morally do not agree with. scratch many... i mean EVERYONE. no one's perfect and so that's why it happens unfortunately. It's the same thing as me watching the t.v. show Will&Grace. I absolutely LOVE that t.v. so it makes me laugh ALL the time... however, it is rather irking or unsettling that two of the four... or three of the four characters are homosexual... i don't really watch it anymore, but i don't hesitate to say that it's one of my favorites... maybe i should now.

so yes. i know that i compromise my standards a lot of the times unfortunately. but i strive to avoid situations that would make me do so, and get support from the people around me to keep me accountable and in check. (:

the greatest sacrifice has been paid; and now we may awaken from our deepest slumber, and bask in the Light partaking in sweet fellowship for eternity.

Re: Rant about "Simoun"

Well, The series has come to an end, and I have watched the final episode.
I must say it was a lot less meaning full than I expected it to be.

You would figure having such a ridiculous setting and so radical a plot that the makers would have a good message to deliver or at least go out with a bang right.
Well that was just somehow not the case. While there was some sort of resolution, it was not very encompassing, a lot was left open ended and up to interpretation and imagination.

All that really happened is that most of the girls resolved their issues or just learned to live with them. The ones that did not, well, nobody really knows what happened to them. They just hope and believe that they made a difference but no one is sure. Turns out, the best part of this anime Was really just the soundtrack, followed by the artwork. And in the end it was really not about the war or the exploits of the priestesses, or even about good versus evil. It was an anime about growing up and putting childish things aside. I thought I had found something different but it was just the same old same old in a very disturbing but flashy packaging. Alas, the old adage rings true once more: There is nothing new under the sun.

Thank you for bearing with me.

If you agree or disagree let me know.

(This post and the entire thread is addressed to any wayward reader who stumbles upon it. While I have written it mainly for myself so I can sort out my thoughts and feeling, discovering what they actually are by writing them down. If any of this rings a chord with you or rubs you the wrong way, Then you can think of it as being written solely for your sake and we can start a discussion. This is my first and only review of a series so if you have any comments for me I would love to hear them. As you can see Cairo was kind enough to answer and i did not bite. Anyway that's it from me for a while.)

Re: Rant about "Simoun"

Personally, I didn't think the rant was that bad at all. It read pretty easily for me.

Anyway, this sounds like the type of series I cannot stand--the ones which throw in disturbing elements to hide the shallowness of the overall experience. The homosexual and transsexual things just seem like they were either thrown in to give the series some much-needed "oopmh", or they were around from the start and ended up being a distraction.

I personally have no problem with homosexuality, but I DO have a problem with writers and producers exploiting and trivializing it to make their shows less generic. That stems from the fact that I have friends who are gay and bi, so I know that it's not just the random fetish that many far right pundits make it out to be. Now, I don't think either you or cairo fit into this category, but I think they were trying to reel people in who thought the show would have more substance if it dealt with such controversial topics.

This reminds me of that movie from the Sundance Film Festival, which was about President Bush being assassinated. I remember seeing some critic on the news saying that the murder was the only noteworthy part of the movie, and it was just a basic crime thriller after the fact. Simoun sounds very similar to that, so I'm not even going to bother.